There are decisions to be made this fall.
On Oct. 24, local residents will head to the polls to vote in the municipal election.
When it comes to politics, the local level tends to be treated by many as the red-headed stepchild – we all acknowledge it exists, but we don’t pay much attention to it. It’s not considered as “sexy” or “glamourous” as its older siblings, the provincial and federal political scene.
However, those in tune with the local political scene will tell you that municipal politics is perhaps the most important level.
While local council may deal with unattractive issues like zoning bylaw amendments and municipal drainage, they also deal with more attractive issues like recreation, roads and bridges and planning.
Some will be surprised to find out that a majority of your property taxes go to fund your local municipality or county, with a slim portion (roughly 11 per cent) going to education.
That’s right, the majority of your tax dollars stay in your community.
Those tax dollars are used to fund recreation facilities and programming (arenas, pools, baseball diamonds, parks, etc.), public works operations (road maintenance and snow removal), fire departments, libraries, waste management, economic development, and much more.
Some departments, such as water and sewer and building/planning, operate on a user fee system and are designed to pay for themselves.
The municipality will receive some help from the provincial and federal governments from time to time in the form of grants, but it’s nowhere close to the amount of money local residents pay in property taxes.
Yet when it comes to municipal politics, most push it aside and focus their outrage and disgust at the premier or prime minister.
Municipal politics is not only the level where the majority of your money goes, it is the most accessible level of politics.
The folks who sit on local council are your neighbours, friends or family members. They may attend the same church, their kids may attend the same school as your kids, or they play on the same slo-pitch or rec league hockey team as you.
More often than not, their phone number is listed in the phone book. Many local councillors will freely offer their phone number to constituents so you can reach out about any local issue.
As I alluded to earlier, local council may deal with the unattractive issues like zoning bylaws, but local council is the one who shapes the community.
They are the ones, on the advice of staff and committees, who decide which road repairs should be done this year. They are the ones who decide what arenas will have ice installed in them this winter. They decide on what programs will be offered to residents. They decide on whether or not a proposed subdivision can move forward.
And with the higher levels of government seemingly pushing more responsibility onto the lower tiers as the years go by, municipal politics will only grow in importance.
Over the coming weeks, local groups and organizations will likely hold all-candidates meetings. These are a chance for members of the public to ask questions on burning topics, or topics of importance to the community, to find out where candidates stand on the issue.
In future issues, this newspaper will have a question-and-answer feature with all of the candidates, candidate profiles, and coverage of all-candidates meetings.
I encourage you to take the time to read these, learn more about the candidates, and educate yourself so you can make an informed decision on Oct. 24.
We vote once every four years, so let’s make it count.
Knowledge is power.
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Mike Wilson is the editor of Midwestern Newspapers. Send your comments or feedback to mwilson@midwesternnewspapers.com.
